Welcome to your practice of yoga nidra.
Be undisturbed during your practice and silence your phone.
Lie comfortably on your back with a neutral spine.
Make sure your head is also in a neutral position.
If you want to keep your knees slightly bent and supported by cushion or rolled towel,
Please do so now.
Make sure that you're staying warm enough throughout the practice.
Rest comfortably for the duration of the practice.
Try to remain still during yoga nidra so that both your body and brain can fully relax.
However,
If you become uncomfortable,
Please feel free to change position.
Allow your eyes to close now and keep them closed until the practice has ended.
The practice of yoga nidra is a practice of yogic sleep.
It will guide you to a state of consciousness between workfulness and sleeping.
Try to remain awake and present by listening to the sound of my voice.
You will be asked to move your awareness to various physical sensations,
Emotions and images.
Try not to concentrate too intensely as this may prevent you from relaxing.
During this meditation,
Please use and absorb what you need in the moment and leave the rest behind.
If the mind becomes overactive with thoughts and worries,
Just come back to the sound of my voice.
Now relax and become aware of any sounds you can hear in this moment.
Nothing else but what you can hear without strain.
Begin by focusing on the most distant sounds that you can hear.
Let your sense of hearing radiate outward,
Searching out these distant sounds and following them for a few moments.
Move your attention from sound to sound without identifying the source or origin.
Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds,
To sounds outside this building,
To sounds inside this building,
To sounds inside the room.
Without opening your eyes,
Visualize the four walls of this room,
The ceiling,
The floor,
Your body lying on the floor.
Visualize your body lying on the floor,
The position of your body,
The clothes,
Your hair,
Your face.
Become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.
Become aware of your natural breath.
Become aware of your natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body without any effort.
The natural breath flows in through both nostrils and flows out through the nose.
Notice the feeling of the breath as it comes in and out of your nostrils.
There is a sense of coolness as you inhale the breath.
Follow this feeling into your nose,
Your sinuses,
The back of your throat,
Into your lungs.
There's a sense of warmth as you exhale the breath.
Feel this warmth on your upper lip as you breathe out.
The natural breath flows both nostrils during the inhale and the exhale.
Allow your breath to become longer and slower.
Take a long,
Slow inhalation followed by a longer,
Slower exhalation.
Make your exhale even slower.
Notice the slight pause after the exhale.
Slow inhale,
Even slower exhale,
And pause.
Feel the urge to breathe in bubble inside of you.
When you need to inhale,
Please do so.
Long,
Slow inhale,
Longer,
Slower exhale,
And then pause where the body is neither breathing in nor out.
Long,
Slow inhale,
Longer,
Slower exhale,
And then pause.
Please continue breathing in this way.
Now go back to the natural,
Easy breath,
Releasing any control over the inhale or the exhale.
Your practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
At this moment,
You should make your Sankalpa or resolve.
The Sankalpa should be a short,
Positive statement in simple language.
Try to discover one naturally.
Please state your Sankalpa clearly and with awareness three times.
The Sankalpa you make during Yoga Nidra plants a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring about transformation and healing.
Also say to yourself,
I am practicing Yoga Nidra.
I am awake and relaxed.
We will now begin a journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.
You will move your awareness to different points of your body as soon as you hear them named.
Please say the name in your mind of the part to yourself silently and feel that part of your body,
But do not move.
You can imagine letting the breath flow through that part of your body.
The practice begins on the right side,
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Side of chest,
Waist,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Left hand thumb,
Left second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Side of the chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Left second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now go to the back of the body.
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
The entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Middle of the eyebrows,
Eyebrow center point,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
The pelvic floor,
The whole right leg,
Whole left leg,
Whole right arm,
Whole left arm,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole torso,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body,
Now begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.
Imagine before you a transparent screen as though you were at the movie theater.
The screen is as high and as wide as the eyes can see.
Concentrate on this mind screen and become aware of any phenomena that manifests within it.
Colors,
Patterns and light.
Whatever you see is the manifesting state of your mind.
Continue your awareness of this space but do not become involved.
Practice detached awareness only.
If any subtle images make themselves known,
Simply notice them without directing the images.
If thoughts occur,
Let them come and go but continue watching the dark space.
Continue this with detached awareness.
Now a number of different things will be named and you should envision them on the level of emotion,
Memory and imagination as best as you can.
Jump from image to image as soon as you hear it.
Red desert.
Peacock feather.
Buddha meditating.
Doctor's office.
A good night's rest.
Full moon.
Your reflection in a mirror.
Foggy morning.
Waiting for results.
Sun shining overhead.
Bouquet of flowers.
Tall tree.
Receiving help from others.
Cool clear water.
Making appointments.
A relaxing afternoon.
Laughing with friends.
A warm embrace.
Burning candle.
Temple on a mountain.
Path in the woods.
Vibrant sunset.
Taking a deep breath.
Cat stretching.
A beautiful garden path.
Your favorite song.
The sound of my voice.
Your body lying on the floor.
It is time to repeat your sankalpa.
Please repeat the same statement made at the beginning of the practice three times mentally now.
Then come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.
Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time develop your awareness of your physical body.
Your body is relaxed and lying on the floor.
Feel the container of your skin and the clothes and props that are touching you.
Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests on the floor and take your awareness into all the points that are touching the floor.
The back of your heels.
Thighs.
Buttocks.
Shoulder blades.
Arms.
Hands.
Back of the head.
Do not open your eyes yet but visualize the surrounding room.
Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects that are around you.
Lie quietly until you feel ready to move.
Start by slowly moving your hands and feet.
Take your time.
There is no hurry.
When you are sure that you are fully awake,
Gently open your eyes.
Please roll over to your right side.
Stay on your right side for a few more moments.
Use your hands to press yourself up from the floor and let your head come up last.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
